St. Luke's announced Jan. 4, 2017, that Dr. Chris Keller joined the Health System’s West Region Board of Directors. Along with the other volunteer directors, Dr. Keller is providing guidance that will help ensure the west region of Idaho has access to the most advanced health care.

"St. Luke's is extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to engage with Dr. Keller in our work and mission," said Kathy Moore, St. Luke's president and chief executive officer for the West Region. "He is a dedicated advocate for the health of people in our communities and a skilled physician. I'm excited to have the chance to work with him at this very pivotal time in health care."

Dr. Keller is a Nephrologist at the Boise Kidney and Hypertension Institute, and serves as the Managing Partner of Practice and Director of Clinical Operations.  In his role, Dr. Keller is responsible for all day-to-day operations, including the oversight of a seven doctor independent practice at four sites throughout the Treasure Valley.  Dr. Keller is also the Medical Director for Liberty Dialysis in Nampa and Caldwell. Both clinics have a 2016 five-star rating by Medicare, the highest rating for quality limited to the top 10% of all U.S. clinics.

“I believe that St. Luke's is leading the way with providing high quality care for patients and using technology to help hospitals, doctors, and patients communicate better,” said Dr. Keller. “There will be unique challenges that St. Luke's will face as we strive to provide optimal care, and the West Region Board of Directors will play a critical role in making decisions that will help Luke's to move forward.  It is an honor to serve as a Director, and I look forward to working hard to improve the lives of our patients and our community.”

As Chair of the National Joint Venture Physician Council for Fresenius Kidney Care, Dr. Keller advised leadership on issues such as patient satisfaction, value-based contracting, and efficiency of patient care delivery.  Dr. Keller also chairs the Medical Clinical Committee for West Valley Medical Center. That committee is responsible for approving protocols and policies, reviews quality metrics, and develops plans of action for optimizing patient care.

Dr. Keller received his undergraduate degree at Duke University and his MD from the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Keller also studied at the University of California, San Diego.

His role within the St. Luke’s Health System officially started in October 2016.